Eye protector



April 3 1952- T. D. BEERHALTER ETAL 3,

EYE PROTECTOR Filed June 30, 1959 INVEN TOR. JOSEPH F. BEERHAL7'ER [VELMA l- B[E/THAL7'ER 3,027563 EYE PROTECTOR Thelma D. Beerhalter and Joseph F. Beerhalter", both of 114 Mary St. Pittsburgh, Pa. Filed Inne 30, 1959, Sex. N; 824,057 Claims. (C1. 2-174) This inyention is for a ladys toilet accessory, and more particularly it is for a shield for protecting the eyes when hair spray is being applied.

The invention is applicable to use in both the home and in beauty parlors and is used when the hair is being spraycd, primarily to protect ones eyes, but to incidentally afr'ord protection to the forehead, back of: the neck, and apparel. Hair spray is generally sprayed from socalled aerosol containers, and it is temporarily very painful, if not injurious, if it contacts ones eyes. When one is using it herself, she is positioned before a mirror and must of course watch carefully what she is doing. If the spray 1's being applied in a beauty parlor, One is usually provided with a towcl to cover the face, or at least the eyes, While the spray i being applied.

The present invention has for its principal object to provicle a protector which can be applied -to the head quickly and without disturbin g the hair, which has been styled to receive the spray, the protection being 0f such construction that it Will rernain in place when applied and encircle the area of the hair to be sprayed While projecting far enough from the hair to prevent the spray from contacting the eyes, but without restricting vision, so that even when orte is applying spray to her own hair, she can See What she is doing.

A further object of the invention is to provide a protector which will adapt itself to the usual range of head s1zes.

A further object 0f the invention is to provide a shield of this kind witn a replaceable cover so that, in a beauty parlor, a fresh cover rnay be applied for each customer, and when the device is used in the home, a fresh cover may be applied when needed.

These and othcr objects and advantages are secured by our invention, as Will be more fully apparent frorn the detailed description thereof in conjunction With the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a view in the nature of a side elevation showing the manner in which the shield is used;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the frame of the device;

FIG. 3 is a side elevation of the frarne;

FEG. 4 is a plan view of the complete device;

FIG. 5 is a transverse section in the plane of line VV -of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a transverse section in the plane of line VIVI of FIG. 4; and

EIS. 7 is a side elevation of a slightly modified form of the device.

The device in its preferrcd form comprises a frame of wire or plastic er combinations of these materials, and a slip-on cover in the natura of a flattened sleeve of plastic film, paper, fabric, or impregnated fabric, as desired.

The frame cornprises a rcsilient back strip 2 of metal or plastic biased by its inherent resilience to maintain a snarply curved contour. lt is here shown as being a strip of rectangular scction With the greatest dimension in a normally vertical plane, but it may be of any desired shape, so long as it has the requirecl strength and spring. At each encl 0f the back strip are forwardly-extending curved wing-like loops, one loop being designated 3, and the other 4. Bach loop has an inner frame member 5 of plastic or wire, usually wund in section, and also somewhat resilient, and an outer frarne mernb er 6 of the States Patent O same material, the inner and outer members converging a t their rear ends whe re they are joined to the end of the back st rip, while -their forward ends are integrally connected by a curved connector portion 7. The frame is sufliciently rigid that when it is applied to the head it- Will project laterally in brirn-like fashi-on. The back strip and the inner frame members 5 defirie an opening 8 which is generally oval and smaller in circumference thari the normal head size of an adult person. The free ends of the two looped Wings 3 and 4 overlap at the front of the dcvice for a substantial distance, -there being perhaps as mch as -four inches of overlap. The frame is angled in the area where the loops connect to the back strip at an obtuse angle, as best Seen in FIG. 3, so fhat the loops slope upwardly and forwardly from the plane of the back strip. The spread between the inner and 0Liter bars of the loop may vary, but. desirably it is of the-order of 3 /2 to 4 /2 inches.

The cover 011 the frame, designated gener.lly as 9, comprises a flat sleeve of flexible plastic, such as polyvinyl film or like plastic material, or paper which is -thin and tough, cloth, either treated or untreated, or other soft, flexible maferial which can be slipped endwise onto the frame so as to Cover the same and extend completely arond the frame. Instead of a continous sleeve, it may be forrned as two curved bag-like elements closed at their forward end and having their open ends meet at the back of the frame. To enhance the appearance and utility, the covering is ruflled at 10 to fit close to the neck, and the covering is preferably gathered on the frame to enhance its appearance, whik: the outer edge 11 may also be ruffied.

T0 use the dev1'ce, the User grasps the overlapping ends, holds the device back of her neck, and spreading the ends, brings them forwairdly, ohe at each side of the head below the hair line, and as the ends reach the front of the head they are allowed to close back into overlapping position across the forehead. Due to its inherent resilience the device springs to the proper head size, and the head is gripped firmly enough so that the protector stays in place. The ruflfled inner edge of the covering adapts itself to irregularities of the contour of the head and face to give adcled protection.

The protector is wide enough so that a1: any angle a1: which one would be expected to tilt the spray can, the eyes. face and forehead and back of the neck would be protected. The cover, is sufiiciently pliable, rnay droop at the back where the frame has only a single bar, but this will nevertheless protect the back of the neck. The device, however, is not so wide that it interferes with the use of ones arrns when her hands are manipulating the can above the hair, nor wicle enough to obstruct vision when the user is looking into a mirrcnr. Because of the generous overlap at the front, the protector will be coutinuous across the forehead, even With persons having larger than normal heads.

In -the modification shown in FIG. 7 the device is sirnilar to that shown in FIGS. 1 to 6, and corresponding reference numerals designate corresponding parts, but in this case the back cf the cover has an apron-like extension 12 that is extrernely useful in beauty parlors where the hair is being washed preparatory to being set and sprayed.

Essentially, therefore, the device cornprises two generally half-elliptical parts or Wings resiliently urged toward each other by a connection at the rcar, and having the freut ends overlapped and defining between them an elliptical-shaped opening which, when the device is not in use, is smaller than the head of the Wearer, the wings forming with the covering a wide brim that projects out from the head in a direction that is substantially at right angles to the forehead and sides cf the vvearers heacl, and further the device is angled so that With the connecting rear portion horizontal, the wings for the most pa1t slope upwardly and forwardly.

While We have shownand described one preferred embodiment of nur invention, it Will be understood that this is by Way of illustration, and various changes may be made in the construction, arrangement of arts and materials within the spirit of our invention and under the scope of the following claims.

We clairn:

1. An eye protector of the class described comprising a frame having a curved single resilient rear band portion that rnay be flexed transversely 01. its length, an elongated forwardly-projecting inwardly-curved wing-like lop at each end of said rear band portion, the free ends of said loops being resiliently urged into overlapping relation, the rear band and inner perimeter of the loops defining a generally elliptical opening, and an impervious flexible covering over the loops, the loops extending laterally frorn the head of the wearer when the protector is placed 011 the head of the Wearer with the head received in the elliptical opening.

2. An eye protector as defined in clairn 1 in which the flexible covering is a rernovable envelope fitted over the wing-like loops.

3. An eye protector for use when applying hair spray comprising an integral frame structure having a single rear connecting band portion frorn each end of which there extends an elongated wing-like loop Which projects forwardly from the ends of the rear connecting band portion and the forward ends of which are curved toward each other and held by the resilience of the frame in overlapping relation with the boundary of the loops and the rear connecting portion defining an elliptical Opening, the wing-like loops projecting laterally from ones head in brirn-like fashion when bis head is fitted into the elliptical opening, and a flexible cover over the frame with the covering for the loops being generally planar to provide a thin brim above the face of the wearer.

4. A shield for use in applying hair spray as defined in claim 3 in which the wing-like loops s1ope upwardly and forwardly When the connecting portion is in a horizontal position whereby the Connecting band portion may be fltted about the lower part 0f the back of the head cf the wearer and the wing-like loops With the covering provide a forwardly and npwardly-sloping brim above the sides and the front of the face of the wearer.

5. An eye protector for use when applying hair spray comprising an integral frame stnlcture having a single rear connecting band portion from each end of Which there extends an elongated wing-like loop which projects forwardly from the ends cf the rear connecting band portion and the forward ends cf which are curved toward each other and held by the resilience of the frame in overlapping relation with the boundary of the loops and the rear connecting portion defining an elliptical opening, the wing-like loops projecting laterally from ones head in brim-like fashion when hi head is fitted into the elliptical opening, and a flexible cover over the frame with the covering for the loops being generally planar to provide a thin brirn above the face cf the wearer, the flexible cover being in the forrn of a sleeve that is slipped endwise over the frame and is removable therefrom, the inner edge of the sleeve being ruifled to press against the head cf the wearer and more eflectively close any space between the frame and the head and close any space btween the frame and the head 0f the wearer against the flow of spray therethrough.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 379,965 Lippincott Mar. 27, 1888 857,644 Mayer Inne 25, 1907 986728 Lee et al Max. 14, 1911 2547810 Burgess Apr. 3, 1951 2599152 Bartfay V June 3, 1952 2,600392 Cancell Inne 17 1952 

